Back From The Dead
by SRJ90
Summary: The boys get a shock when they find out that Charlie is, not only back from the dead, but working with the British Men of Letters.
1. Charlie!

Pulling up to the metal gate, Dean stared forward silently. With a sigh, Sam leaned across and smiled.

"Hey. We're here to see Mick. We're.." he started, before being interrupted by the guard.

"I know who you are," the man said sharply, nodding to the other guard to let them through. "They're waiting for you in the main room."

Before Sam could thank them, Dean sped through the opening gates and made his way to the parking lot. He hadn't said much the entire drive down; Sam knew he was still mad about his little brother going behind his back and working with the British Men of Letters, even if he wouldn't admit as much. It made Sam feel guilty, knowing that Dean felt this way. It was the same reaction he'd had when they found out Mary was working with them, though less severe.

Eventually finding a spot, Dean pulled in and put the impala in park before getting out and slamming the door a little harder than necessary.

"So what did they say they needed us here for?" Sam noticed the annoyance in his brother's voice when he said us, frowning. "Have they figured out how to eradicate all the ghosts now? Maybe it'll be demons this time. Crowley would just love that..."

"I don't know, Dean," Sam replied with another sigh, following Dean through one of the doors into the bunker. "Mick just said it was important."

Giving a short laugh, Dean shook his head and continued down the hall, coming to the door of the main office of operation. Knocking on the door, they waited. It only took a couple of seconds before the door was pulled open by their mother, Mary.

"Hey mum." Dean said, pulling her in for a hug and smiling for the first time in days.

"I take it the drive here wasn't too terrible?" she queried, releasing Dean so she could hug Sam. "Sorry this was such short notice."

"It's fine, we're happy to help." Seeing Dean was about to argue, Sam shot him a warning look.

Looking around, they saw Mick arguing with Arthur Ketch in his office, brandishing a piece of paper at him; things were clearly getting heated. There were a few new faces around; they'd had to call in new staff after the vampire incident. No-one they knew, though a mess of red hair belonging to the stranger at the computer hit Sam with a pang of familiarity.

Having finally seen the arrival of the Winchester brothers, Mick slammed the paper on his desk and composed himself, smiling welcomingly as he joined the rest of them, Ketch following closely behind him.

"Thanks for coming, lads," Mick said, holding out a hand to them, which Sam shook and Dean ignored, looking around. "We wouldn't have called you out here if we didn't need the extra help, as I'm sure you're both aware." He looked from Sam to Dean, lifting a brow questioningly. "We think something big is going down regarding Lucifer."

This caught Dean's attention. They had recently found out that Crowley had, instead of sending Lucifer back to the cage, imprisoned him in his vessel and was keeping him prisoner. Unfortunately, as clever as the King of Hell thought he might be, the Archangel was cleverer; Crowley had underestimated how much support Lucifer still had in Hell. Almost a full army of demons had come to Lucifer's aid and had freed him. Crowley had gone into hiding, the embarrassment of losing out to Lucifer again too much to bare right now. Castiel was currently working with the angels to try and find out where Lucifer was hiding, though none of them trusted each other enough to truly work together properly.

"Have you found him?" Dean asked, his gaze burning into Mick intimidatingly.

"Possibly." he replied, keeping his cool. "We've had some intel come our way that he's set his sights high again, though not quite the President this time."

"So who do you.. or they... think it is?" Sam said, joining Mary and Ketch at the table, Dean joining them reluctantly.

"We're not one hundred percent sure yet but we know it's someone in the government," the charming voice of Ketch responded, much to the annoyance of Mick. "We recently employed one of the most genius hackers to our ranks and she's infiltrating their records as we speak."

Sam and Dean exchanged a look. A genius hacker? They both looked toward the red-headed stranger and stood up. It couldn't be... could it?

Watching the chair turn slowly, the girl gave an awkward smile and waved once.

"'Sup, bitches?"

The boys stood, frozen to the spot, as she rose from her chair and cautiously made her way toward them.

"Charlie..?" Dean managed to choke out, his eyes wide. Sam gave a shocked laugh as he watched her.

"Surprise!" she said quietly, giving them jazz hands.

Sam finally found the ability to move again and closed the distance between them, squeezing her as tight as he could, trying to let her know how sorry he was without words. The guilt that had stemmed from her death still ate away at him after this long and seeing her again, alive, it brought it all back. As he let her go, he stepped back to let Dean hug her, wiping his eyes on his sleeves; he hadn't even realised he was crying.

"So... uh... you three know each other then..?" Mick said, looking from Ketch to Mary in confusion, Mary shrugging and watching the boys in amazement.

"Yeah we do," Dean said gruffly, an arm still around her, scared she might disappear if he let her go. "What are you doing here, Charlie?"

"Well... it's kinda weird..." she shrugged. "One minute, I'm in my room and my mum is reading to me and then next minute... poof! I'm stood in front of the gates of this place! Turns out these guys were looking for hacker and I was in the right place at the right time!"

She smiled at Sam and Dean as they stood silently, trying to process what was happening. Mick kept looking at Mary for an explanation but she couldn't give him one. Placing his hands on the back of one of the ornate chairs, Sam leaned forward and took a breath.

"But... Charlie... you died..." he said quietly, struggling to keep his voice from cracking. "We saw you... we burned your body... it was my fault... I'm so..." Gripping the chair hard, he couldn't continue, closing his eyes to calm himself down.

"I... died...?" Charlie responded, shocked. "Woah... well... woah..."

Dean chuckled and squeezed her shoulders before letting go and beginning to pace, clearly thinking hard.

"But how are you here?" Sam said quietly. "Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled, but I just don't understand who brought you back.."

This seemed to trigger something in Dean and he suddenly looked furious.

"CAS!" he yelled, looking around.

The soft whoosh behind them signalled the angel's arrival.

"Hello Dean," said the familiar voice. "Charlie...?" Castiel sounded just as confused at they were.

"Hey bestie.." she smiled at him as Dean closed ranks.

"Do you have anything you wanna tell us, Cas?" he asked, agitated. Castiel raised a brow and thought before answering.

"No..." he replied slowly, confusion still apparent in his tone.

"Then why is Charlie stood here, alive and well, when she died three years ago?!" Dean shouted.

"Dean.. calm down.." Sam started, only to be interrupted by his brother.

"No, I will not calm down!" he retorted, getting more agitated by the second, his angry gaze not leaving Castiel for a second.

"Are you implying I had something to do with this?" the angel asked, furrowing his brow.

"You're damn right I am!" Dean replied, folding his arms across his chest. "You brought me back. And Sam!"

"But we were both still alive, Dean." Sam said.

"Shut up, Sam." Dean said shortly, waiting.

"I can assure you this had nothing to do with me. I don't have that kind of power." he responded, almost apologetically.

The room was silent, though not for long.

"We should probably talk... again..." said a familiar voice from behind them.

Dean turned and sighed, staring angrily at Chuck as he waited for his explanation.


	2. Explanation Time

No one said anything for a long time; it got incredibly uncomfortable. Those who hadn't met Chuck stood confused and alarmed, whilst those who had just stood there in shock. Sam kept his eye on Dean, knowing what was coming.

Without warning, Dean started charging at Chuck so fast, Sam didn't think he was going to make it over in time to stop him. Luckily, Castiel managed to grab Dean by his upper arms and hold him back.

"Damn it, Cas! Let go of me," Dean roared, struggling against the angel's grip, still glaring at Chuck. "You son of a..."

"For God's sake, Dean," Sam yelled, throwing an apologetic glance at Chuck who just smiled. "What's wrong with you?! Charlie is alive. Why are you so pissed off?!"

Charlie stood awkwardly looking between the four men.

"I mean... I'm cool with it, honestly.." she said nonchalantly.

Shrugging Cas off, Dean pointed a finger at Chuck and opened his mouth to talk, but couldn't find the words he wanted. Seizing his chance, Chuck turned to Mick.

"Do you have somewhere more private the five of us could talk?" he asked politely, gesturing to Charlie, Cas, Sam, Dean and himself.

"I might but I'm not letting you anywhere near it until you tell me who the bloody hell you are!" Mick said, his voice rising in a way that reminded Sam of Crowley. He figured it must be a British thing.

"Oh, right," Chuck said, leaning forward and holding out his hand to Mick. "I'm Chuck, but most people know me as God. But I prefer Chuck, if that's okay."

The reaction was so instantaneous Sam and Dean almost laughed. Those who hadn't known had eyes as wide as saucers, not knowing how to react to this new information; they clearly thought Chuck was crazy. Sensing this, Sam cleared his throat.

"I know... it's a lot to take in; trust me, Dean and I were the same," he said understandingly. "But he IS God. He's the real deal. I know it might be hard to believe but most of you have met demons and angels. Hell, most of you have met Lucifer. Why is it so hard to believe he's God?"

Sam looked back at Chuck with an awkward smile; he knew exactly why it was hard to believe. This little, scruffy guy stood in front of them looked as far from God as you could imagine. If Sam hadn't witnessed what he had, he might still not believe it.

Again, no-one said a word. Sam, Dean and Chuck exchanged an uncomfortable look as everyone processed this new information. Castiel stood, looking to each of them with confusion; he didn't understand what the problem was. Leaning to Dean, he spoke quietly.

"Should we do something? This all seems a little bit awkward."

Dean looked at the angel in astonishment and laughed affectionately; the awkward angel picking up on uncomfortable situation was a rare thing. Before he could answer, Mick cleared his throat and stood up, straightening his jacket.

"Right... well... if you'll follow me..." he said, looking uncertainly at Chuck, who smiled at him and followed.

Dean and Cas left the room and Sam looked to Charlie. She looked shell-shocked and a little bit awed. Putting his hand on her shoulder, she jumped and looked up at him.

"Are you coming?" he asked with a smirk.

"Right. Yeah. Gonna go chat it up with God..." she laughed, a hint of terror in it as she exited the room, Sam close behind her.

Closing the door, Mary and Ketch exchanged a look but said nothing. What was there to say?

(More to come for this chapter..)


	3. Mission

Mick closed the door behind him as he left, leaving everyone standing fairly awkwardly. Sam was watching Dean closely; his brother was stood with his arms folded over his chest, his gaze not leaving Chuck for a second. Charlie was stood close to Sam nervously and Castiel watched everyone silently, his confusion still apparent.

"Well?" Dean said finally, the tension in the room amping up as they waited for the explanation.

"It wasn't her time," the deity shrugged with a smile to Charlie, who blushed.

"'It wasn't her time?'" Dean roared, making Sam and Charlie jump. "How is that an explanation?! That's a statement, Chuck, not an explanation!"

The oldest Winchester began pacing so hard Sam thought he might ground the carpet into the floor. Sam sighed and stepped toward Chuck slowly.

"What Dean means.."

"I said exactly what I meant, Sam," Dean growled, stopping to glare at his brother.

"What he meant was," Sam said, ignoring Dean entirely. "What does it not being her time have to do with it? It wasn't Kevin's time. Or Jo's. Or Ellen's. Or Bobby's.." His voice trailed off as his heart began to ache painfully. It was time's like this he realised how tragic and dangerous it was to be involved in this kind of life.

Dean had looked down at the mention of Jo, though Sam pretended not to notice. Losing Lisa and Ben had hurt Dean in a way Sam could only begin to comprehend. But when he lost Jo, Sam knew that was the kind of pain that never healed. He still felt the pain of losing Jessica every day, even after all this time.

Chuck sighed and nodded in understanding.

"It WAS their time, Sam," He spoke quietly, gently. "They fulfilled whatever they had to and most of them died heroes but.."

"Heroes?!" Dean turned on Chuck again, Cas finally coming to life as he grabbed Dean around the waist this time. "Bobby didn't deserve to die the way he did. Neither did Kevin, Ellen or Jo! You.." His voice broke and he looked at the floor, his eyes squeezed shut against the emotion that was threatening to spill over.

Breaking free of Cas' grip, Dean stormed to the back of the room, his hands running through his hair as he took as many deep breaths as possible to calm down.

"Then why me..?" Charlie's voice was barely audible as she spoke, looking down at the floor. It was the most timid Sam had ever seen her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed. Chuck smiled softly.

"Because you still have to fulfil your mission, Charlie."

"My mission?" She looked between the men, frowning as she looked at Dean's back. When her eyes found Cas, he smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry, you're mission isn't too strenuous," the angel explained before shutting up; the look Chuck gave him sent chills through Sam.

"What your mission is will be revealed to you soon," Chuck explained, his eyes focused on Charlie as she nodded slowly. "Obviously we CAN'T tell you," he stressed, glaring at Castiel, who appeared unfazed by the reprimanding from his father. "But it's going to be important, Charlie. Soon you're going to be the most important woman in the world."

Chuck smiled brightly at her as she processed this, her eyes huge.

"Wow, no pressure then, huh?" She laughed, looking up at Sam with terrified eyes. He couldn't help but chuckle and squeezed her once more before letting go.

"We'll help whatever way we can. And I promise you this time, we will protect you from anything," He'd never felt so strongly about keeping someone safe before, except maybe Dean, and he wasn't going to let her down twice.

"Well, you should all get back to your briefing," Chuck announced, gathering their attention.

They nodded and began to file out.

"Chuck," Dean's voice called gruffly, causing Sam and Chuck to stop. "Wait a second, I wanna talk to you."

Sam gave him a questioning look but Dean reassured him that he wasn't going to do anything stupid. Sam closed the door behind him and sighed anxiously.

Dean stood, staring at the floor for a long time before he said anything, Chuck waiting patiently as ever.

"When this mission of hers is done," he asked, speaking slowly. "She's going to die, isn't she?"

Chuck said nothing for a moment before sighing.

"Yes, Dean, she will die," he replied, a hint of sadness in his voice. "But she'll go down in a blaze of glory. She's important, Dean, and I need you take care of her."

Dean's jaw tensed and he couldn't find the words. It wasn't fair; Charlie didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve any of this. And it was all their fault. They had pulled her into this life when she wasn't apart of it and now she was going to die because of it again.

All he could do was nod, his eyes never meeting Chuck once.

"Dean," Chuck said quietly. "I know this is hard for you and you probably won't understand why it has to be this way. I can't give you all of the answers right now, but one day I'm hoping you'll understand."

Looking up, Dean saw Chuck had vanished and he sniffed, wiping a hand over his face to rid it of the tears that had spilled. He didn't know where to go from here but he knew for sure that Charlie living had just become his number one priority.


End file.
